# ■ 2

It was eleven o’clock before all the family were in bed，and two o’clock next morning was the latest time to set off with the beehives．It was a distance of twenty or thirty miles on bad roads to Casterbridge，where the Saturday market was held．At half-past one Mrs Durbeyfield came into the bedroom where Tess and all the children slept．

‘The poor man can't go，’she whispered．Tess sat up in bed．

‘But it's late for the bees already．We must take them today．’

‘Maybe a young man would go？’asked Mrs Durbeyfield doubtfully．‘One of the ones dancing with you yesterday？’

‘Oh no，not for the world！’said Tess proudly．‘And let everybody know the reason？I'd be so ashamed！I think I could go if little Abraham came with me．’

Tess and Abraham dressed， led out the old horse Prince with the loaded waggon，and set off in the dark．They cheered themselves up with bread and butter and conversation．

‘Tess！’said Abraham， after a silence．

‘Yes， Abraham．’

‘Aren't you glad that we're a noble family？’

‘Not particularly．’

‘But you're glad you're going to marry a gentleman？’

‘What？’said Tess，lifting her face．

‘Our noble relations are going to help you marry a gentleman．’

‘Me？Our noble relations？We haven't any．Whatever put that into your head？’

‘I heard them talking about it at home．There's a rich lady of our family out at Trantridge，and mother said that if you claimed relationship with her，she'd help you marry a gentleman．’

His sister became suddenly silent．Abraham talked on， not noticing her lack of attention．

‘Did you say the stars were worlds，Tess？’

‘Yes．’

‘All like ours？’

‘They seem like our apples—most of them good， a few bad．’

‘Which do we live on？A good one or a bad one？’

‘A bad one．’

‘If we lived on a good one，how would things be different？’

‘Well，father wouldn't be ill and cough as he does，and mother wouldn't always be washing．’

‘And you would have been a ready-made rich lady，and not have to marry a gentleman．’

‘Oh，Aby，don't—don't talk of that any more！’

Abraham finally went to sleep on the waggon．Tess drove the horse． Gradually she fell into a dream． She could see her father，foolish in his pride， and the rich gentleman of her mother's imagination laughing at the poor Durbeyfield family．

Suddenly she awoke from her dream to noise and violent movement．Something terrible had happened．She jumped down and discovered that the post carriage，speeding along the dark road， had driven into her slow and unlighted waggon．Poor Prince was seriously hurt，and as she watched he fell to the ground．

‘You were on the wrong side，’said the post driver．‘I must go on with the post， but I'll send somebody to help you as soon as I can．You'd better stay here with your waggon．’

He went on his way， while Tess stood and waited，tears pouring down her cheeks． Daylight came． Prince lay there，unmoving，his eyes half open．

‘It's all my fault，’cried Tess．‘What will mother and father live on now？Aby，Aby，wake up！We can't go on with our beehives—Prince is dead！’When Aby realized what had happened， his face looked like an old man's．

‘It's because we live on a bad star，isn't it，Tess？’he said through his tears．

Finally a man arrived with a horse，to take the waggon on to Casterbridge to deliver the beehives，and then collect Prince on the way back．When they got home，Tess broke the news to her parents．They were not angry with her，but she blamed herself completely．

When Durbeyfield heard he would only get a few shillings for Prince's dead body，he rose to the occasion．

‘We d’Urbervilles don't sell our horses for cat's meat！’he insisted．And the following day he worked harder than usual in digging a grave，where Prince was buried．All the children cried：

‘Has he gone to heaven？’asked Abraham in tears．But Tess did not cry．Her face was dry and pale．She felt she had murdered a friend．

■ 2

過了11點鐘，這一家人才全都上了床。要帶著這些蜂箱上路，最遲也不能遲於翌晨兩點鐘出發。由那條糟糕的路去卡斯特橋市有二三十英里的路，那兒星期六有集市。在一點半鐘的時候，德北夫人走進苔絲和其他孩子們睡覺的臥室。

“那個可憐的人兒去不了啦，”她輕輕說道。苔絲從床上坐了起來。

“但是已經遲了，我們必須在今天把蜂箱帶到！”

“也許哪個年輕小夥子能去？”德北夫人有些遲疑。“叫個昨天跟你跳舞的小夥子？”

“哦，不，絕對不行！”苔絲自尊地說，“難道要讓所有的人都知道原由嗎？我會感到很羞恥的！我想我可以去，如果小亞伯拉罕能陪我的話。”

苔絲和亞伯拉罕穿好了衣服，牽出了那匹名叫“王子”的老馬。馬車已經上好了貨。在黑暗中，他們出發了。他們吃了點兒麵包黃油，讓自己振奮起精神，還聊起了天。

“苔絲！”一陣沉默之後，亞伯拉罕開口了。

“嗯，亞伯拉罕。”

“我們是貴族家庭，難道你不高興嗎？”

“沒有特別高興。”

“但是，你要同一位先生結婚了，你會高興嗎？”

“什麼？”苔絲仰起了臉，問道。

“我們的貴族親戚會幫助你同一位先生結婚的。”

“我？我們的貴族親戚？我們沒有這樣的親戚呀。是什麼讓你腦子裡有這種想法的？”

“我在家裡聽到他們談起這件事。在純瑞脊那兒，有一位我們家族的有錢太太。媽媽說如果你和她攀上親，她會幫你嫁給一位先生的。”

他姐姐突然沉默了。亞伯拉罕沒有注意到姐姐已無心在聽，還在繼續說著。

“苔絲，你說過這些星星就是一個個世界吧？”

“是的。”

“全都像我們這兒的世界嗎？”

“它們就像我們的蘋果一樣——大多數是好的，也有一些是壞的。”

“我們住在哪顆星星上呢？好的，還是壞的？”

“壞的。”

“假如我們住在一顆好的星星上，會有什麼不同嗎？”

“那樣，爸爸就不會像現在這樣生病，也不會咳嗽，而媽媽也不會總是洗個沒完。”

“而你也早是一位有錢的小姐，用不著非得嫁給一位先生不可了。”

“哦，亞比，別說了——別再說這個了！”

亞伯拉罕後來在貨車上睡著了。苔絲趕著馬，也漸漸地進入了夢鄉。在夢裡她看見父親荒唐可笑地沉浸在驕傲中，而那位她母親想象中的有錢紳士嘲笑著貧窮的德北家。

一陣響聲和劇烈的震動突然把苔絲從夢中驚醒。發生了什麼可怕的事情。她從車上跳了下來，發現是一輛沿著漆黑的馬路急速行駛的郵車撞上了她那輛慢吞吞、沒點燈的貨車。可憐的“王子”傷勢嚴重，苔絲眼看著它倒在了地上。

“你的車跑錯道了，”郵車車伕說道，“我必須繼續趕送郵件。不過，我會盡快派人來幫助你。你最好和貨車一起在這兒等著。”

郵車馳走了。苔絲站在一旁等著。眼淚不住地從臉頰上流下來。天亮起來了。“王子”躺在那兒，一動不動，半睜著眼睛。

“這全都是我的過錯，”苔絲哭著說，“現在爸媽靠什麼生活呢？亞比，亞比，快醒醒！我們的蜂箱運不成了——‘王子’死了！”亞比明白了所發生的事情時，露出了飽經滄桑的老人才有的表情。

“這是因為我們生活在一顆壞星星上，是不是，苔絲？”他眼淚汪汪地說道。

終於有人牽著匹馬過來了。這匹馬拉著貨車把蜂箱送到了卡斯特橋，並在返回途中把“王子”的屍體捎了上來。到了家之後，苔絲把這事兒跟父母講了。他們並沒有生她的氣，反而是苔絲自己陷入了深深的自責中。

當德北聽說“王子”的屍體只能換幾個先令時，他改變了主意。

“我們德伯家絕不會把我們的馬賣掉換貓食的！”他堅持說。接下來的幾天裡，他比平常更賣勁兒地挖墳墓，“王子”下葬時，孩子們都哭了。

“他會去天堂嗎？”亞伯拉罕流著淚問。但苔絲沒有哭。她的臉乾巴巴的，沒有一絲血色。她覺得自己殺死了一個朋友。